Dressed in the Official Gown for the Convocation Ceremony
With members of the Board of Directors of the College before the Convocation Ceremony
Delivering the speech at the Convocation Ceremony
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| Y Bhg Col Prof Dato Dr Kamarudin Kachar delivering his speech |
1. Introduction. The fourth Convocation Ceremony of MASA College was held on October 1, 2015 from 2.00 to 5.30 pm at Dewan D, MAEPS, Serdang attended by 300 graduates and an estimated 1000 made up of the staff of the College, guests and parents of the graduates. The conferment of diplomas was for the following five faculties - Corporate Administration, Executive Secretaryship, Hospitality Management, Information Technology and for the first time, Computer Security and Forensics It was officiated by Puan Chin Phaik Yong, Director-General of the Human Resource Department and among the distinguished guests present were Yang Berusaha Mr. Selvarajah K. Sangarapillai, CEO of MASA College and Y. Bhg Kol Prof Dato' Dr Kamarudin Kachar. I feel greatly honored to have been invited as one of the speakers at the Ceremony.
2. My Message to the Graduates. The details of my speech at the occasion was as follows:
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Tuan Pengacara Majlis,
Y.Bhg. Puan Chin Phaik Yong, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Tenaga Manusia
Y. Bhg Kolonel Prof. Dato' Dr. Haji Kamarudin bin Hj. Kachar dari ULAMA,
Y. Berusaha Mr. Selvarajah K. Sangarapillai, CEO Kolej MASA
Pegawai kanan Kolej MASA,
Dif-dif kehormat,
Ibu Bapa dan seterusnya para graduan dan pelajar sekalian,
.............................................
Let me, first of all, take the opportunity to congratulate the Management of Kolej MASA for being able to continue providing the educational and training facilities and resources to the young citizens of the country and once again, for the fourth time, we are gathered here to accord recognition to 300 more graduates .
2. Let me extend my heartiest congratulations to the the graduates who have successfully fulfilled their requirements for the diploma in Information Technology, Hospitality Management, Corporate Administration and Executive Secretaryship and for the first time in the area of Computer Security and Forensics. Your completion of this diploma course is an achievement to yourself and brings a feeling of pride to your parents and members of your family.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
3. I note that the College is moving with time in recognising the increasing importance of computer security and forensics by including it in its curriculum. Our civilization has moved from the Agricultural Revolution, which started with the domestication of wild species of cereals like rice, maize, sorghum which have served as our staple food, obtained from the rich biodiversity of our jungle into cultivated ones and developing the culture of growing them, an estimated 10000 years ago. Rice was originally domesticated and cultured in the Malay world. Then we had the Industrial Revolution from 1750 to 1850 AD. Presently, we are in the Information Revolution with the development of computing equipment like the computer in the 1940s. Immense progress has been made in this technology.
The first computer science degree was conferred by Cambridge University in 1953. Purdue University in the USA awarded degrees in the 1960s. When I studied at Iowa State University in 1965 the IBM computers that the students made use of, were huge and computers were centralised in specially assigned rooms called the Computer rooms. One cannot input one's data right away but had to use special cards with the arduous task of punching them and then inputting them into the computer.
When I started work at the Malaysian Cocoa Board as its first Director-General in the early 1990s, we initiated the internet-based Cocoa Information System (we named it Coco.net) in the effort to centralize all the information on the cocoa industries, both from the primary production, processing, storage, transportation and marketing - in other words, gathering information on all aspects of the supply chain of the cocoa industry.
4. The computing hardwares now have shrunk considerably and become mobile - laptops, tablets and smartphones but the information uploaded in the system is staggering. Google on any topic, like health, millions of websites e.g Ted Talks, Health Tips, Nutrition, Tourism, Travels, Pets etc. The computer is certainly a great and easily accessible source of information. I find it an easy and simple way to publish books. I usually move around with a digital camera and a note-book. Take photos of subjects with notes and then download into the blog. After a period of time you have enough materials for your publication.
The internet is a source of entertainment. Go to the You Tube and Google for your favorite Indonesian Dangdut singers like Cita Citata or Ria Amelia for Minang songs or old numbers like Broery Marantika or Sharifah Aini or the Latin American beat, Zumba, Samba.
It is also a great mean to communicate through such social media as the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and popular apps such as Whatsapp, Viper and Line to friends and acquaintances all over the world.
5. However, hidden among the staggering benefits of the internet, there are also as Chermaine Poo, a chartered accountant, actress an TV host, 'Crooks that lurk on Social Media' (The Star Metro Sept 23). Among the cyber crimes that Chermaine cited are:
5.1 Ladies who fall victim to casanova who sweet talk them into surrendering their life saving
5.2 Victims gullible enough who believe in the scams that they have won big prizes and lost their money in the effort to retrieve the prizes - spyware
5.3 Men who were extorted by providing very personal photos to suppossedly pretty ladies.
5.4 Enticing the young through the media who are then sexually abused and raped
6. There are other more serious crimes such as:
6.1 Illegally withdrawing money from other people's account. Recent incident where a bank was robbed by a Latin American crooks and more recently the African group
6.2 Perhaps the most damaging are the many false information that are viral around that can destabilise, not only the economic situation but also the security and political situation of the country
6.3 Identity theft - in the current spate of political divide, names of political leaders of both sides have been abused by the opposite side on the social media
6.4 Purchase/Conferment of degrees by all kinds of Cyber Universities
7. With the many crimes linked with the internet, appropriate measures must be taken to address them. The built up of skill in this area through curriculum development, as undertaken by the College is commendable.
8. I am grateful and appreciative to have been invited to attend and deliver a speech at this auspicious occasion. This is the third time that I have been invited to the College Convocation, having been given the honor on its first Inaugural Convo in June 2012 where then, I shared with graduates on BALANCED LIVING. I accepted this invitation, firstly, as it provides an ULAMA like me to share my experiences and wisdom if there is any, with the Y Generation. Secondly, it provides the opportunity to interact with young people and makes one feel young. More importantly, accepting an invitation to deliver a speech at an event mean that I have to do a little research on the issues that I wish to touch on. I have to read and continue learning new things. Yes, fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, even after having lived for 77 years, reading, attending lectures, participating in seminars, conferences, following language courses, on health, on nutrition etcetcetc in the effort to make your mind active and pick up new information is a continuous thing - LIFE LONG LEARNING is part of a process of healthy, balanced, active and happy living.
9. I am an elected Fellow of the Academy of Science. In the effort to promote science and the utilization of science for development, the Academy and its related network institutions, organize brainstorming sessions, idea exchange, lectures covering such current topics such as climate change, biodiversity; energy alternatives; housing and transportation; which I make a point to participate. Ten days ago I participated at the International Conference on Nature and Biodiversity, where Tan Sri Dr Dzulkifli Abd Razak, the former VC of USM, who put a strong case to integrate 'soul' in STEM (acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and suggested that scientific development must not just look at from the economic perspective but has to be anchored with the 'soul' roots such as quality of life, the human aspects, equitibility, culturally-sensitive. Two days later on September 23 I attended a public lecture organised by the Universiti Islam Malaysia on 'Was the Universe Designed for Life on Earth?' by our top astrophysicist, Dato Dr Mazlan Othman, who mesmerised her 400 participants with the various theories of how the Universe was created, constituents that make up the Universe, the various forces that regulate the existence of life (see my posting in this blog). Such an informative and exciting lecture. I am narrating this not to display my arrogance but that at this ripe age there is still that fire to learn and gather knowledge.
10. As graduates today, you are, I consider, going through the first phase of life - (Acquisition of basic knowledge and Skill) going through the various levels of schooling, picking up the knowldge and skill to equip yourselves, for a challenging journey in the second phase of your life (Working and gaining Experience). Upgrade your skill through reading and continuous exposure to various ways of upgrading your skill in your area. Widen your area of knowledge, depending on interest. There is so much one can pick up on the internet - motivation, self-help, finance, health, sports and recreation, entertainment. Interact with your peers through discussion sessions. Participate in seminars and conferences. One can gather so much information through these sources.
11. In concluding, once again congratulations on your success in going through the first phase of life and wish success in your endeavors and ability to overcome the challenges in your second phase of life and to achieve what each one is striving in life i.e HAPPINESS and the keys to achieve it are:
(a) Good Health – participate in easy and simple exercises, sports and recreational activities on regular basis; have proper and balanced diet and ensure having adequate rest
(b) Getting involved in exciting activities such as intellectual, art, culture, religious, gardening, travels, environment (tree planting)
(c) Practice Balanced Living – physical, intellectual, spiritual and social
(d) Supercharge thinking through reading – expose to various experiences, practices, words of wisdom of philosophers, leaders, teachers etc which become the driving force to unlock the talents within you
(e) Change Thinking – choose, act, talk to be productive, healthy, exciting and happy
(f) Commit to Excellence in Whatever You Do – profession, hobbies, sports, writing
(g) Share and Write About Your Experiences
(h) HAVE A GREAT, PRODUCTIVE, HEALTHY, EXCITING AND HAPPY LIFE
Hashim bin Abdul Wahab
Written on 24 September, 2015 Hari Raya AidilAdzha
Written and posting in this blog on Thursday October 15, 2015
Written and posting in this blog on Thursday October 15, 2015
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